Page 33 - Foundations of Naturopathic Medicine

Introduction to the Foundations of Naturopathic Medicine
naturopathic history and professional formation timeline
It is our experience, as members of a globally emerging profession who have engaged in many interdisciplinary government, reimbursement, public health, education, and research groups, that specificity is a key need for all stakeholders in dealing with new communities of practice, interest groups, and medical professions. Specifically, what are the profession’s qualifications to practice a purported scope of practice safely? What is the training? How will the public recognize that? What is the status of national consensus on standards, safety, efficacy, and established processes and guidelines?
5b. Using the timeline to continue developing a dynamic and collaborative record that lives into the future
Today, naturopathic medicine is an active and effective change agent: a source of critical appraisal and innovation within an evolving paradigm of mainstream health professions and medical practices. Guiding the profession within that process, therefore, assumes immense responsibility and importance — in many ways it is akin to steering a car down a dark road. As Thomas Merton generally observed of the soul’s journey, the best way to see where we are going is to open our eyes, use our headlights and be attentive. We hope this timeline becomes one of those guiding lights that will help show us not only where we have been but also where are we going and how we may achieve our next steps. We believe that knowing the historical terrain behind us is imperative to pursuing the journey ahead and to climbing the mountains before us.
Like time and life, we recognize this timeline is a living, evolving document, and that with you, we are the experts creating this evolving record through our personal experience and our community of elders and students, leaders, practitioners, educators, allies, friends, critics, and patients. We invite you to participate in its growth and development by submitting new information, corrections, and comments to us through the foundationsproject.org website.
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and Foundations of Naturopathic Medicine Institute. All Rights Reserved.
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